Man Fatally Shoots His Mother After Broken Video Game Headset Dispute

A 28-year-old man was arrested after fatally shooting his mother and threatening to kill both his parents over a broken video game headset, according to police in Ceres, California.

The man, Matthew Nicholson, began arguing with his mother on Thursday night while playing video games in his bedroom. His mother, 68-year-old Lydia Nicholson, had entered to check on him after hearing him yelling while playing his game. During the argument, Nicholson broke his own headset while yelling at his mother, according to police.

Matthew Nicholson blamed his mother for the broken headset, then threatened to kill both her and his father. Police say he grabbed a nearby handgun that was in the Nicholson home and shot two rounds into the wall, then shot his mother in the head.

His father, Loren Nicholson, 81, wrestled the gun out of his hands. Matthew Nicholson then fled to his sister's house in a neighboring town, but was detained during a traffic stop while driving.

"I understand that he would've killed the father too, but the gun jammed," a family friend told FOX40. "The father grabbed the gun, emptied it."

Loren Nicholson then called the police, at around 9:50 pm, to report the crime and call for medical attention for his wife. Lydia NIcholson later died from her injuries at a nearby hospital.

According to Ceres Police Sgt. Greg Yotsuya, this was the second call in the last six months regarding domestic disputes between Matthew Nicholson and his parents.

The victim's daughter, Autumn, says that Lydia Nicholson worked in local schools for decades and that she and her husband Loren Nicholson had been married for 32 years.

"[She] had so much compassion for people and just wanted to see the best in people at all times," said Autumn Nicholson of her mother.

Nicholson is being held without bail at Stanislaus County Jail.